3. PORTRAITS

Last October, I was part of a fairly large contingent of expats flying home to sunny Sydney, to join Elena & Leo in celebrating their special day. It was every bit as picture-perfect as I had come to expect from these guys. What was truly wonderful was how relaxed and radiant the happy couple were, as a year of seemingly effortless planning from the other side of the world came to fruition.

They were kind enough to invite me to shoot alongside tealilyphotography again, and it was loads of fun to meet up with her and reprise those weekends a few months ago back in Paris and London.

One thing England does well is gardens, but you really need a car – and bit of luck weather-wise – to truly appreciate it (anyone for a roadtrip?). To kick off the last weekend of their photoshoot with tealilyphotography, Leo booked a teeny tiny Fiat 500, complete with racing chequers on the roof, and we crammed in for a daytrip to a couple of National Trust properties in Kent. Although too late to catch the daffodils, the bluebells were still out in force, along with plenty of other bright blooms to add a splash of colour.

To bring the shoot to a close, Sunday was spent close to home. Normally jam-packed with tourists, Notting Hill on a Sunday morning is serene and leisurely, with the market taking a day off. We wandered past all Elena & Leo’s favourite places, picking up coffee & pastries at Ottolenghi, brollies from former flatmates at their old place at Bayswater, even a houseboat at Little Venice…..

I love how Paris is but a two hour train-ride away – I’m not sure why I’m not catching the Eurostar every weekend! Elena and Leo decided to make the most of it and off we went on a Friday night, whisked away to capture the magic of la ville-lumière for part two of their big engagement photoshoot. These guys are seriously dedicated – we checked in around midnight, but they ironed till 2am and Elena was up at 5am to get started on make-up & hair!

Saturday started off a gorgeous sunny day, just perfect to take in the spectacular gardens of Versailles. Ever since I saw the part in the September Issue where Grace Coddington directs a Vogue shoot there, I wanted to do the same. And despite the ridiculously early start to the day, the long trek to the other end of the estate, and the tricky business of getting changed into a pristine white gown in public toilets without smearing make-up or messing hair, the results were totally worth it. I hope you agree.

Elena & Leo had the most amazing engagement photoshoot last year, and I was lucky enough to be invited along to help out and get a few shots of my own. They flew their wonderfully talented photographer tealilyphotograpy out from Sydney to spend a weekend in Paris and another in London, to capture their life here before they moved back to Sydney after they got hitched (miss you guys!!!).

With such a big investment, I thought it might be worthwhile spending a couple hours the weekend before she got here to go for a trial run – it’s not easy pretending to be normal while having a massive lens poked in your face!

With Elena & Leo’s kind permission, I’ve selected a few of my favourite shots to share with you. The Paris & London shoots with tealilyphotograpy will follow soon, so watch this space!

Portrait Photography

Random Musings

ABOUT

maxabroad is a London-based freelance photographer masquerading as a City drone, who loves travel, good food and an awesome show - all the more if she can do it with a camera glued to her face (most of the time).

ASSIGNMENTS
maxabroad is available for weekend assignments in the London area, and would happily travel further abroad as leave from her day-job permits!
email: maxabroad.photography@gmail.com